Bob Alsip had a passion for motorcycles, and for life. He grew up in small towns, riding horses and then dirt bikes. In 1990 he bought his last bike, a Honda Transalp Dual-Sport. At 6'2" the bike was perfect fit in size and riding style. It was the motorcycle he said that he could never sell.
In the summer of 1998 Bob lost his youngest son. Christen (Ace) Alsip was killed while riding his restored Harley Sportster. He was traveling north on a straight road that had a slight rise in it, when a southbound left turner pulled into his path. So one of our last rides of 1998 was a memorial ride for his son.
In the spring of 1999 after a fall at work Bob was forced to watch the spring days roll by as his bike sat idle. In June he had a minor back surgery and was on his way to recovery. On father's day we sat on my deck and counted the days until he would again be riding, and talked about the trips we would take. Bob's mother had moved to Kentucky and he loved to talk about the great roads around her home.
But those rides never happened. By 6:45 the next morning I had gotten a call that Bob had died in his sleep. It was later determined that it was due to an undiagnosed heart condition.
I had the opportunity to buy Bob's motorcycle, and in 2000 I felt a strong desire to ride his bike down to his final resting place. To take the ride he didn't get to make. The Bob Alsip Ride has since become an annual ride. In part to remember Bob, his love of roads that motorcycles were made for, and to build new friendships and memories that will last longer than a lifetime.
In 2000 three riders made the first trip down to the military cemetery in Lebanon Ky. Rob Severson of Kalamazoo, Mike Sage of Kankakee and myself. The things I remember about this trip we getting a photo of Bob's Transalp at the gravesite. And Rob, who spent most of his career in mental health and treated people for anger management losing his temper and chewed out a driver who had been tailgating us after the traffic was backed up. We asked him what he would have done if the driver had gotten out of his car? He simply said I knew you guys would back me up. Another thing was a little map mix up. We changed from an Indiana state map to a multi state map when we got into Ky. but misjudge the distance to a hotel and made a reservation a little to far away. We had to travel in the dark 60 miles and didn't get to the hotel till around 9pm after a 5am start that morning.
In 2001 we had 4 riders including Ken Van Dyke and Herm Patlow from Grand Rapids and Mike Sage and myself from Kankakee. We made a swing down 135 in Indiana, and on 68 thru Ky. Then along the Ohio River on 52 and up the twisty 555, and a stop at the Honda motorcycle plant in Marysville Ohio.
It was the first trip Ken had taken with the used Goldwing he bought. I remember going down the road and Ken's highway peg came off and right at Herm. I remember Herm doing a slow figure 8 in the parking lot of the Super 8 on his Goldwing. Scrapping one peg then the other side, just to get warmed up for Ohio 555. It was also my first real trip with my Valkyrie. But what Mike and I will remember most is how much Herm reminded us of Bob Alsip. Not only in size and build, but in the way Herm walks and his since of humor.
In 2002 we had a great ride with lots of memories. We made the trip in
September that year because I was recovering from a torn rotor cuff in
June.
We had 7 riders and 2 passengers that year. Ken and Chi chi on their Goldwing,
Mike Sheppard on his Harley, Mike Sage on his Magna, Bill Cosby on his
Valkyrie, Thom Day and his son on his Shadow, Jim Kenny on his Shadow
and me on my Valkyrie.
On our second night we stayed at the Shaker Village, which was one of
last of the Shaker Villages. It is a village filled with bed and breakfast
rooms. It was like taking a step back 150 years in time. The dinner that
night seemed almost surreal almost to perfect. Just 9 friends old and
new sitting in the historic building enjoying great food and each other's
stories.
If we turned back time 150 years on the second night of the trip, we turned
it back a mere 45 years the third night. We stayed at the Wigwam Village
in Cave City Ky. next to the Mammoth Cave. The hotel was made up of village
of concrete Tee pees. A throw back to the 50's in the days before Disney
World, the Mammoth Cave area was the place for a family vacation. I keep
waiting for a wood side paneled station wagon to pull up but all I saw
were SUVs and Mini vans. I'm not sure if Chi Chi liked her Wigwam but
Ken showed her who was the boss.
In 2003 we had 4 riders. Ken Van Dyke on his freshly painted Honda Interceptor,
Bill Cosby on his Valkyrie, Mike Sage on his Magna and Myself on My Valkyrie.
It was the trip to find a helmet visor. I was in dire need of on a new
visor for my helmet, but because it is almost 8 years old, and the factory
that built them for Fulmer had burnt down I was told that the only way
I could get one is to find one on a dealer's self. So as we rolled thru
towns we stopped at motorcycle shops. One of the more enjoyable stops
was in Seymour Indiana where the owner took us into shop in the back and
showed us his car collection. After a wrong turn in Ky. we backtracked
and stopped at a dealer in Campbellsville Ky. that we had passed that
morning when it was still closed and found the visors. The guy working
there had been there 6 years and the visors had been on the self since
he started working there. Then on the way home we found some more of southern
Indiana's great roads.
This year we are again planning to make this trip It is being planned
for Thursday June 17th thru Sunday June 20th and hope that some of you
can find the time to take the trip with us.
If interested contact
Mongo
Mark Devine
Checkers57@comcast.net
